Modern engineering solutions for an original domestic nitric oxide generator (“Tianox”)

Nitric oxide (NO) is a biologically active molecule approved for the treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns in the USA, Japan, and most European countries in 1999 – 2008. Inhaled NO is currently used to treat a spectrum of cardiopulmonary disorders, including pulmonary hypertension in children and adults. A commercially available NO delivery system uses pressurized cylinders as a source of NO. Current cylinder-based delivery systems are widely used around the world, but they are bulky, expensive and dependent on a reliable supply chain. The aim of the work was to present an original domestic generator for NO inhalation therapy. Over the past few years, to overcome the limitations of the balloon technology, specialists from the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Russian Federal Nuclear Center – All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics” have developed a plasma-chemical NO generator that produces NO from ambient air using a nonequilibrium spark discharge plasma. In this case, a diffuse discharge mode is implemented, which ensures the most efficient synthesis of NO with the participation of excited nitrogen molecules (N²⁺) according to a chain mechanism similar to the Zeldovich – Semenov chain reaction. The result is a high-quality NO-containing gas mixture that does not contain toxic by-products (electrode material, ozone, etc.) usually formed in the known systems of this type. Conclusion. Based on the developed generator, the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Russian Federal Nuclear Center – All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics” designed and created the world’s first commercially available device for inhalation therapy, “Tianox”. The device was approved for circulation on the territory of the Russian Federation by order of the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare (2020) based on the results of technical and clinical tests. Serial production of “Tianox” meets the requirements of ISO 13485-2016 and GOST ISO 13485-2017.

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